In Aktobe, an otolaryngologist has been ordered to compensate the hospital 1.75 million tenge for unqualified care that led to hearing loss in a four-year-old girl, reports infohub.kz.
The incident occurred in 2023. The child first visited a private clinic, where purulent otitis media—inflammation of the middle ear with pus formation—was diagnosed. Later, another clinic diagnosed "left facial nerve neuralgia" and referred the child to the Aktobe City Children's Hospital.
At the city hospital, physiotherapy was prescribed, which is contraindicated for purulent otitis. After the procedures, the girl's condition worsened. The mother claims that incorrect diagnosis and treatment led to the spread of infection and severe complications requiring skull surgery.
The child was transferred to the regional children's hospital, where emergency surgery was performed. However, antibiotics were not prescribed for a long time, only dressings. After re-hospitalization, a medical council determined the treatment strategy, but the condition remained severe. The mother turned to a republican clinic in Almaty.
In Almaty, the child underwent resection trepanation of the skull—removal of the damaged bone area and replacement with a special plate. As a result of complications, the girl lost hearing in one ear, while the other ear had tinnitus, and first-degree hearing loss was diagnosed.
The mother filed a lawsuit. The Civil Cases Collegium of the Aktobe Regional Court ordered the city and regional children's hospitals to pay 5 million tenge each in moral damages. The city hospital paid its share, then demanded that the responsible employees reimburse part of the amount. Two doctors agreed voluntarily, but the otolaryngologist refused, claiming her guilt was not proven.
The hospital filed a separate lawsuit. The court found the doctor responsible for unqualified care and ordered her to pay 1.75 million tenge.
Earlier, a case was reported in the Akmola region where a patient sued a clinic for 1.6 million tenge for medical negligence.